But it was his views on the state of the country's political policies that really ended up rocking the boat.

"For me, this all started when my father took me on the Colorado in 1967 when I was 13-years old," said Kennedy, referring to the late presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy. "He taught [us] that nature is the critical defining element of American culture. ... But this most iconic river in America has essentially now been privatized by the Bureau of Reclamation."

Calling today's view of America "corporate crony capitalism" with "narcissistic hacks running our Congress," Kennedy called on the audience to use conservation as a way to show a consideration for the nation's natural resources instead of just its monetary ones.

"This tragedy of global proportions is the result of greed and short sighted state and national policies on water use," he said. "The most important thing you can do is get involved in the political process. It's more important to change our politicians than to change our light bulbs."